Handling sulphur



' March 12, 1935. c, P. M'cNElL HANDLING SULPHUR Filed July 20, 1931 ITW'QITIIOTI CLO/Limp M Neil latented Mar. 12, 1935 K v UNITED. V-STTATELS PAT NT men '1,99:i,97s I I Standard Oil Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Indiana Application July 20, 1931, Serial No. 551,974

2 Claims. '(01. 126-3435) This invention-- relates to the handling of sulproved apparatus used phur or similar fusible solids and it pertains more ordinary storage pile. particularly to an improved apparatus therefor. Figure 2 is a section taken along the lines 22 My invention will be described as applied to the of Figure 1. l

handling of powdered, pulverized orcrushed sul- Figure 3 is a vertical section of another em- 5 phur but it is to be understood that this is by bodiment of my invention. Way of example and that my apparatus may be Figure 4 is a vertical section of the heater unit used for handling other fusible solidswhich' are shown in Figure 3.

. r ally handled'by shovels or mechanical con- Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken along the veyors.

When sulphuris mined by the Frasch process, 'Figure 6 is an isometric detail showing the reit is melted byhot water or steam under pressure, movable end plate carrying the inlet and outlet elevated liquid form and discharged into reheater p 1 ceptacles wherein it is allowed to solidify. The In d nary m r sulp ur is t ansport d equipment used for mining sulphur cannot, of in crushed or pulverized form and it is stored by 15 course, be used for handling loose sulphur in ndu t i co ns in'hueesto a e piles. bins or storage piles" and heretofore the loose or powtanks- In accordance With my invention I P dered sulphur has been handled by mechanical the pulverized sulphur 1e on a concrete floor 11 means. The object of my invention i to prdvide over a hopper 12 which terminates at its base in an economical means for handling pulverized atrough 13.- If the trough isburied in the ground sulphur in storage piles which will avoid the disthere w P y he need fer h insulasemination of sulphur powder and which will n. However, I m y lirevide eheet insulator 14 minimize the amount of time and labor r i d, around the trough. In the lowermost part of the- A fln'ther object is to providean improved apptrough I provide a discharge opening-which leads :5 ratus whichmay be employed in any system where to d v y p p which is s und d y st am pulverized sulphur must be transported from jacket 16 and insulating material 1'7. The delivery storage pile or bin to a point oi. application. A P p is connected to a D mp 1 both h p p and further object, is t provide apparatus f .t -the exposed parts of ,the pumpbeing constructed type which is readily accessibleIfor repair, and of a resistant alloyso that corrosion by molten In practicing my invention I employ a 1 1 provide aperforated-retaining member 19 which proved heater at the base of a hopper or tank so acts as grate to l h p v ri d u p r that the sulphurin th most point bf t from the heater coils 20 in the trough. Retainhopper is converted into liquid and is handled as f 8 me 19 y consist of a heavy Screen.

:3 such. when liquid sulphur is withdrawn fro spaced bars, orally equivalent means for holding 35 the base of the hopper pulverized solids slide down back solids and permitting liquids to run through. the sides thereoiso that a continuous stream or The heater coils are mounted on a removable =molten sulphur may be withdraw f a o plate 21 which is secured at the base of front tinuously Iormed pool in the base of the hopper. retaining wall 2 by m ns of bolts I t I my heater with a perforat d retaining heater pipe 24 and outlet heater pipe 25' are se- 4 I member, such as a perforated shell, a sereen, or cured to plate 2113' means 9 annular threaded a serles'otbars or grates. -Ihe moltenj'sulphur membelfs i r readily runsvthmugh the perforations or open Thepperation of the above apparatus is as follows: When it is desired to convey sulphur ings during normal use of the apparatus; when I e heat. is turned off the sulphur'soudmes m- Irom storage to a point of application, a heating fluid, such as steam under-pressure, is passed \the evenings the s fi h 5 F the hater'may through coils 20 and steam jacket '16 so that the be readily without dlstm'biPg the 1 trough and delivery pipe is raised to a tempera- Verized p The inventm?! W111 be ture above the melting point of sulphur, prefereleefl! understood from the following description ably to about 125 c. I (I: steam is used it should Of P rr embedimentsthel'eof- I be under a pressure of at least fifty pounds). The. In t c pa ying dr wi w im sulphur in the trough is melted to form a pool parts are designated by like reference characters whichacts' as .a supply reservoir for the delivery in the several views, 1 I pipe. As sulphur is withdrawn through said pipe I in conjunction with an lines 55 of Figure 3.. l 10- sulphur will be minimized. Above the trough, 13 30 i Figure I is a vertical section showingmy by means oi. pump 18 additional sulphuris melted 55 I in the vicinity of the retaining member 19 and when it is melted it runs through the perforations into the pool and thence out to the delivery pipe.

Pulverized sulphur in storage pile slides down the sides of the hopper 12 to replenish the sulphur which is melted and which flows through the apertures in the retaining member.

p An important feature of the invention is the removable heater coil. If itis desired to remove said coil the flow of heating fluid therein may be stopped and pump 18 may be operated to remove substantially all of the molten pool in the trough- The molten sulphur in the vicinity of the retaining member will solidify to seal the apertures so that the sulphur powder is efiectively prevented from entering the trough. Bolts 23 may then be loosened and the plate 21 may be removed to:- gether with the heating coils.

hi Figures 3 to I have illustrated another form of my invention wherein pulverized sulphur is stored in a large tank 27 supported by angle iron skirt 28 on foundation 29. The tank is pro vided with a conical hopper bottom 30 which terminates in anannular flange 31 around a central opening through which I insert a casing 32.

I This casing may be a cylindrical metal receptacle provided with a large number of apertures 33 or it may be a suitable screen casing, etc. The cas= is'provided at its base with a flange 34 and it is adapted, to be closed byv a cover 35. The

cover, the flange on the casing, andthe flange at plate 35 carries heater coils as above de scribed; and to it is attached delivery pipe 37. This delivery pipe is surrounded by a steam jacket 33 and byinsulation 39 and it leads to a pump to (see Figures 3 and a). v

The operation of this embodiment is substantially the same as the operation of the first emhodiment; a pool of sulphur is formed in and adiacent to casing 32 and'this pool acts as a reservoir for supplying liquid sulphur to delivery pipe 37 and pump 40. The bulk of sulphur in the tank remainsin pulverized iormso that it slides down the tank and is directed bysloping hopper walls 30 against the casing 32. When the heater except as defined by the following claims which should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit. l I

I claim: 1. An apparatus for handling powdered, pulverized or crushed sulphur and other low heat conducting materials comprising, a heating chamber, a storage compartment for holding said sulphur when in its normal solid state, heating vcoils located in said chamber; a superimposed grill separating said chamber from said compartment for preventing the passage of the solid material into the chamber and for passing the material when liquefied therethrough into the heating chamber, said grill being disposed within the melting heat range of said heating coils, means for withdrawing the liquid material from said heating chamber and for conducting the liquid to a place of use including a liquid conducting pipe,

and means for heating said pipe to maintain said material'in liquid state'during its travel from the heating chamber to'said place of use.

2. The method of handlingpowdered, pulverized or crushed sulphur such as is usually handied by shovels or mechanical conveyors, which comprises, directing the solid sulphur into an indirectly heamd zone, in, applying heat to that portionv of the sulphur within the zone to cause the sulphur to liquefy, in immediately withdrawing melted sulphur from contact with solid sulphur in the heating zone and conducting it to a place or use, in replenishing the solid sulphur.

within said zone as rapidly as it is liquefied and in applying heat to the liquid sulphur during the time that it is being conducted to its place of use so as to maintainthe sulphur in its liquid condition during its course of travel.

LA DE P. MCNEIL. 

